Bradley's Tale
by Golden Shine
Summary: Bradley's friend Shelly was taken by a fiendish dragon mamodo. Now he will enlist the help of a ragtag gang of mamodo. Will they defeat the mysterious demon? Will Goldrama become the king of the mamodo world? Or will the dragon steal away any hope?
1. It Ends Tonight

BRADLEY'S TALE

Prologue: It Ends Tonight

The evening air was cold and dry, and ice crept across the metal banister Shelly was leaning against. She looked back at the party she was leaving. Not a single person had seen her leave, or at least nobody cared. Perfect. Shelly crept silently down the old, wooden steps to the beach, which was completely abandoned at this time of night. Everyone was in their houses, awaiting the final countdown that would symbolize new promises. New adventures. New beginnings.

But Shelly didn't want new. She loved the old. She loved everything in her life and couldn't stand change. Shelly would just die if something changed in her life. A chill ran through her long blonde hair as she approached the water's edge. The shallow liquid barely touched the tips of her toes, which were tingling in the cold. Shelly had thought that nobody had saw here leave the party. She was wrong. She knew he was coming even before he said anything. Turning around quickly, she already knew who would be behind her.

Bradley. As much as Shelly adored Bradley and all he stood for, sometimes she wished he didn't know her so well. He had short brown hair that flowed straightly over his entire head, always messy and never, ever parted. His penetrating green eyes could always brighten someone up, especially when paired with his adoring smile. Shelly liked Bradley. She really liked him. And Shelly had resolved to tell him her feelings this very night.

"Shelly, what are you doing here?" Bradley asked inquisitively, approaching her slowly, "Everyone's inside. The countdown is in three minutes! Don't you want to be there when-"

"When what?" Shelly snapped. She had turned to face Bradley. "When everyone just leaves this all behind? When everything vanishes and is forgotten? Why does it have to be that way?"

"Shelly, I don't understand what you mean," Bradley told her, still walking towards her, "Nothing's going anywhere. It'll be the same after tonight."

"No, it won't!" yelled Shelly. There was a lingering cold in the wind that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Shelly ignored it. "Everything will change! People think that after one night, one stupid, senseless night, they can forget everything that happened in the past 364 days! But why? Why can't we remember it all?"  
"Please, Shelly, I'll remember." said Bradley. He was a little worried now, not so much for Shelly, but for the strange coldness in the area. "I do remember! Look, I remember way back in 2nd grade when you kicked my locker to try to open it when I forgot my combo, and all it did was dent the locker and I got in trouble, but I appreciated the fact that you tried. I remember these things, Shelly. So what if other people don't? So what if they want to start anew? I can stay with you here, but eventually you need to stop living in the past."

"But I love the past!" she told him sternly. There was something definitely off about her surroundings now. The water had ceased its lapping against the cold sand. "I know what's happened in the past! I can stay here because I manage the past with my heart. It's all in my heart, and... well..."

"Yes?" Bradley insisted, wondering what she'd say next.

"Well... there's something else in my heart, too..."

"Go on..."

"You see... the truth is Bradley..."

"Yes...?"

"The truth is... that I... I like you, Bradley." Shelly turned to Bradley, waiting for a response. Something was very wrong. Bradley was staring into the distance, his eyes wide with fear and shock.

"Bradley?" said Shelly. He didn't move. Shelly turned to look out across the vast seascape. It was silent and waveless. But then, something, way off on the horizon, made Shelly shake. It was as if all her happiness, her relief for finally telling Bradley her secret, had been frozen over by an evil chill.

There was a figure. An inhuman figure out on the very edge of the sea. It was indistinguishable from this distance, but there was a certain dark quality to it. Shelly was frozen in place. She dared not move. She dared not make a sound. The creature was drawing closer, she realized! The eerie sillhouette had grown bigger! As it approached, the water around it shook unnaturally and bent over, almost wilting in its presence. The waves made now were dead and icy, as if the water itself was running away from the looming creature. Now the shadow was closer still. Shelly could make it out more easily now. Whatever it was, it had huge, angelic wings that glided swiftly over the surface of the water. The beast had horns, and a long, dragon-like body. It had come so close that Shelly could now see a ghostly phenomenon happening beneath it. The very area underneath the monster was becoming enclosed into darkness, enveloped into another sort of dimension. The creature had eyes! Glowing, solid yellow eyes that gleamed wickedly in the midnight blue sky. It's mane was composed of black, flowing hair, and its wings were small compared to the enormous span of its two webbed hands. The behemoth's body was a midnight blue, blending in perfectly to the night around it. It slowly opened its mouth. Shelly felt as though her heart had stopped beating. The creature's mouth was rushing right at Shelly. It was all over. This was the end.

Bradley opened his eyes. He was standing on a beach, with the beach house and Shelly nowhere in sight. The water had begun its chilling cycle of splashing against the shore again. Instinctively, Bradley pulled up his sleeve and looked at his watch. It had stopped at exactly one second before midnight. Did this mean it was now 2008? Looking around, Bradley spotted a curious thing. A book. A red book lying in the sand. Bradley started to walk toward the book. As he neared it, he noticed the cover had an odd symbol on it: five circles connected by a strange, pointing line. Bradley picked up the book and randomly opened it. The entire thing was written in some nonsense language. But wait. He could read just one line that was glowing red...

TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 1


	2. New Friendship

BRADLEY'S TALE 

Chapter 1: New Friendship

"_Shakor_." Bradley said. Before he could entirely realize what had happened, there was an explosion of sand and wind, throwing him head over heels backwards. Still clutching the red book he had found on the beach, Bradley looked up to see what had just occured. The area in front of where he had just been standing had been crushed by an unknown force, creating a large crater in the sand. Bradley looked around, hoping to find the cause of the blast. That's when Bradley saw him.

He was by far the strangest character Bradley had ever seen. He was wearing metal shoes that reached almost to his knees. Above that was a pair of white pants that blended directly into a dark turquoise shirt. He was wearing a scarf that was shaped like a star at the end, and had black, anime-like eyes. On the person's head was a huge spiky hairdo that stretched rather far up. Even with his ridiculous outfit, the person didn't strike Bradley as funny. He had a way he was looking at Bradley, almost in shock and admiration.

"Who the heck are you!?" Bradley exclaimed, clambering to his feet. "What's going on?"

"You..." the boy said quietly, "are... the one...?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Bradley cried. The book in his hand began to glow brightly. "I need to find out where my friend Shelly went! If you can't tell me, you can't help me!" The book was shining brightly now. Bradley didn't seem to notice or care. "I have no time to focus on weird, freaky-looking freaks like you!"

"Hey!" the boy yelled, "My name is Goldrama, and I happen to be your mamodo! So get used to me, because..." he paused, then looked strangely at Bradley. "What is it?" Bradley was looking skeptically back at Goldrama.

"What are you babbling about?" he said, "Mamodo? What language is that, Japanese? And what kind of a name is Goldrama, anyway? I'm not in the mood for jokes like this. Move." He brushed past Goldrama and headed toward the beachside road. No way was this all happening. Goldrama looked scared all of a sudden.

"Stop! Don't go that way!" he yelled. Bradley ignored him and continued walking. Goldrama ran after him, his metal boots clicking strangely in the sand. "No! Really! He's waiting for-"

"_Jikir!_" someone yelled. A big ball of wind struck Bradley head-on and sent him sailing back into the shallow beach water. Stunned, Bradley looked up to see what had just occured. He found himself facing yet another strange character. His hair was long and green, reaching down to his shoulders, and had a few strands cast over his face. He was wearing a large, white t-shirt that stretched all the way down to his knees. On his arms were two maroon-colored arm bands, one attached to a white sash. Below his enormous shirt was a pair of light green pants that covered the majority of his shoes. The two things that struck Bradley odd about this person were the fact that his eyes had two small lines running down from them, and the fact that he had just blasted him with wind.

"Well well well..." the boy said quietly, approaching Bradley from his hiding place in the forest, "What do we have here? An inexperienced book keeper and a pathetic mamodo. This could be fun. What do you think, Tony?"

Another boy came out from the woods, a bit older than the first. This one seemed more normal, but still had a hint of darkness about him. His hair was about as long as the other boy's, although his was black. His eyes were a penetrating brown hue, corresponding very well with the younger boy's hazel color, and were covered by a pair of small-lensed glasses. He was wearing a dark traveler's coat, and holding a goldenrod-colored book. Bradley then realized it. That goldenrod book had the same distinct pattern that was on the cover of his red one.

"These two don't look like much, Chiro," he said, almost sounding disappointed. "I really think they won't last long enough for us to have fun with them. Ah, whatever." He opened the book, which suddenly began to glow. "_Jikir!_" Another ball of wind began to form around the younger boy's fist.

"Quick! Say the spell!" Goldrama shouted to Bradley.

"What are you talking about!?" Bradley yelled back, "What spell?"

"Open the book, you moron! Say that word that you said before!" The ball of wind was very big now. The boy began to lean back, ready to throw the sphere again. Hurriedly, Bradley flung open the book, managing to land on the exact right page where the line in red was glowing.

"_Shakor!_" he screamed. The ball of air launched off the green-haired boy's fist. It was soon annihilated by a star, glowing bright yellow, that shot out from Goldrama's hand and struck the ball. The star continued sailing through the air until it struck a tree, which then fell over.

"Holy crap." muttered Bradley. Goldrama hurried over to him.

"What did you say your name was?" he said quietly, helping Bradley up from his spot in the cold January water.

"I didn't," said Bradley, "but my name is Bradley. And you're my...?" 

"Mamodo." said Goldrama, smiling, "I'm your mamodo, Goldrama."

"Well, isn't this sweet!" said Chiro in a mockingly sweet voice, "The two losers have joined together! Spare me."

"I don't know, Chiro," Tony said, walking up towards the scene, "Their spell cut pretty easily through our Jikir."

"You're right, Tony," said Chiro, "I think we need to up the ante. Let's go!"

"Right!" Tony turned the page in his book, allowing it to glow brighter than before, "_Jikirga!_" Immediately a beam of energy shot from Chiro's hands and headed straight for Goldrama.

"Not this time!" Bradley cried, opening his book again, "_Shakor!_" Another brilliant star released from Goldrama's hands and hit the beam, slicing through it and heading straight for Chiro.

"Ahh! Victor!" Chiro yelled as the star reached the end of the beam and headed for his chest.

"_Foshield!_" chanted Tony. A spiraling shield made of wind appeared just in front of the star, which struck the shield and burst into smoke. Chiro ran towards his partner, Tony.

"Retreat! Retreat!" he cried. Bradley and Goldrama started to run after him, but Chiro proved to be incredibly fast. Chiro grabbed Tony and lept into the air, apparently able to fly without the use or need for a spell. "We'll be back for you two!" Chiro called as the two of them flew off into the night sky. Goldrama and Bradley watched the two of them go, and then turned towards each other.

"Maybe I should explain all this..." said Goldrama, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, maybe you should." Bradley said quietly.

TO BE CONTINUED


	3. Demon from the Shadows

BRADLEY'S TALE

Chapter 2: Demon from the Shadows

"_Shakor!_" Bradley chanted. A star made of golden energy shot forward from Goldrama's hands. The spell struck the cat mamodo and sent her rolling back over the snowy mountain surface. She quickly righted herself.

"Ha! No matter how many times you hit me, I'll always come back! For I am..." The black cat struck a dramatic pose. "Kara, Queen of the Cats! I have eyes that penetrate walls, ears that let no sound escape, paws that can pass over water at blinding speed! I am the best, the most skilled, the supreme top of the line and..." Kara's partner, an older African-American man, was looking rather bored by now.

"You get this a lot?" Goldrama asked softly so as not to be heard by Kara over her repetitious ranting.

"All the time." the man responded in a deep voice, "But I don't mind. I kinda zone out after she gets to her paws passing over water, y'know?"

"Hey!" Kara shouted, for now she had heard what the man had said, "You don't like my wonderous speech?"

"Not after I hear it every single time we battle." the man said quietly.

"It is a pretty long speech, you know." pointed out Bradley. Kara turned her head to glare at him.

"You cannot rush greatness!" she shouted, "So do not rush me! Caleb, the first spell!"

"Whatever." the main said, opening the red-purple book he was carrying. He then yelled "_Okeruda!_" as a blast of purple energy shot from Kara's mouth and sped towards Bradley and Goldrama.

"_Keshield!_" Bradley roared. Goldrama swept his hands in front of him and created a large, star-shaped shield. The energy from Kara hit the shield and died out, leaving a rather large scorch mark on the otherwise perfect defense spell, which then faded away in a flash of white.

"Goldrama, Plan A!" Bradley called. Goldrama nodded and ran straight at the old man. Kara chuckled to herself.

"What are you doing?" she asked. Bradley, while running at Kara, had quickly glanced over at Goldrama. The two exchanged winks. Kara suddenly had a thought.

_"I know what they're doing!"_ she thought as the two got closer to their targets, _"The mamodo will grab my book from Caleb and then the human will cast the spell! Well, I won't let that happen!"_ Kara lept into the air.

"Caleb, cast the spell again! I'm at a perfect position!" Kara called over to Caleb. She was, in fact, poised directly in front of Bradley and the red book, her mouth open, ready for the spell to occur again.

"_Okeruda!_" Caleb cried. The energy blast emerged from Kara's mouth again and locked on to Bradley.

"

"Swap!" Bradley yelled. Both Bradley and Goldrama switched positions all of a sudden, completely throwing the position of Kara's spell off. Since Kara's spell had been aiming for Bradley, it curved slightly and followed him. Bradley grabbed the back of Caleb's jacket and threw him into the air, his book falling into Bradley's hand. With both books in his hands, Bradley swung his leg around, landing it hard onto Caleb's stomach with a sickening smack. The wind knocked out of him, Caleb started to fall...

...and landed directly in the path of Kara's spell. Caleb cried out as the violet energy swept over him, then landed hard on the mountain's surface. Kara, who was watching the scene and paying no attention to Goldrama, was grabbed by the neck and thrown on top of Caleb. Bradley then threw Kara's book up into the sky.

"_Shakor!_" chanted Bradley. The magical star shot from Goldrama's hand and struck the violet-red book, starting a small flame in the very corner of its pages. The book fell into a small snowdrift, its dancing fire still burning the book even through the icy powder. A curious thing began to happen to Kara. As the book slowly burned away, she began to grow lighter and lighter, almost fading away. Small, white orbs slowly drifted out from her unconcious body, still lying on top of her book keeper, and danced off into the dull gray sky. The violet-red book was now almost completely worn away, and Kara only had energy to utter a final sentance.

"I wish..." she said as the last bit of the book began to burn away, "I just wish... that I... could say my speech... one more time..." and with a soft smile, she whispered quietly to herself "I am Kara, Queen of Cats. I have eyes that penetrate walls, ears that let no sound escape, paws that can pass over water at blinding speed..." Kara's book had vanished, leaving only ashes in the white silence of the evening. The cat herself then disappeared, vanishing in a small flash of silver. Caleb remained quiet, lying in the cold, apparently still knocked out from his hard strike onto the rocky ledge.

"That's our third mamodo, Bradley!" Goldrama said, walking over to his partner, "We're on a real streak now." He was smiling broadly.

"Yeah..." said Bradley absentmindedly, looking suspiciously at a shadowy figure behind a large rocks. The shady character suddenly lept from behind the rock and struck Goldrama across the face, then rushed to the mountainside and slid down. Shocked and confused, Goldrama fell into the snow and covered his injured face with his hands.

"What the hell-!?" shouted Bradley. He ran to Goldrama's side, helping him up. The mamodo now bore a large red spot on the side of his face, and a scratch which was bleeding onto Bradley's baggy jeans. The two of them didn't get a chance to see the attacker's face.

"Wha... what just..." Goldrama stuttered. He slowly rose to his feet, his face still bleeding. Bradley tore a piece of his gray-blue shirt and placed it carefully on the wound. Glancing quickly around, Bradley spotted someone else, not the mysterious demon he had spotted a few moments earlier. This person was completely different.

She had long and flowing blonde hair that stretched way down to her waist. In her hair was a black ribbon, curling down a small strand, accenting it. Her eyes were a dark gray shade that sent shivers down Bradley's spine. She was wearing a long, black jacket, reaching her knees at the very end. Her pants were black, as well, and underneath her black overshirt was a light gray undershirt. She was glancing rather disapprovingly at Goldrama.

"Your mamodo reacts rather slowly. Did you realize?" she asked. Her voice was cool and calm, but it had a firey hint to it. "If he had faster reflexes, he would've avoided Gaedo's attack." Before Bradley could entirely realize what the mysterious woman had said, she had pulled out a dark gray spellbook.

"Goldrama, look out!" Bradley cried. The mamodo known as Gaedo lept from beneath the mountainside, apparently awaiting this moment as well. The woman lept to the side, away from the duo.

"_Gigano Borus!_" the girl shouted. Gaedo released a huge, transparent ball that struck Bradley and Goldrama head-on. The remainder of the ball hit the mountain below them, shattering it and sending the two protagonists falling down the mountainside.

"My name is Vera Granter!" she called as they fell towards the frozen river below, "And my mamodo Gaedo will be the mamodo king!"


	4. Coffee Break

BRADLEY'S TALE

Chapter 3: Coffee Break

As you may remember, Bradley and Goldrama took a huge fall from the side of a mountain. Fortunately for the both of them, they landed in an icy river, were washed down the stream, and ended up being found by a tour group near the bottom of the mountain. Unfortunately, once he returned home, Bradley's parents were pretty upset.

"Where have you been, young man?" his mother had exclaimed, "We were worried sick about you!"

"I told you I'd be leaving for a while." said Bradley coolly, "Why did you make such a fuss? I'm fine."

"You don't look fine to me!" his father told him, "Look at these bandages! What happened to you?"

"It doesn't matter!" he shouted, "Why are you so worked up over this? It's not like I've never had worse injuries! I had told you I'd be gone, I had told you I'd be leaving for a while, I even told you that I was taking Goldrama to a mountain lodge! It was five miles from here! Stop worrying so much!"

Goldrama sat up on the steps of the Romarus household, watching silently at the scene below him. He hated when the three of them fighted like this. It happened rather often now, Bradley's grades being what they were and seeing that the two of them always had mamodo popping up to fight. And that Gaedo... he somehow reminded Goldrama of a gravity-bending character from back in the mamodo world... maybe they were related?

"That's it, Bradley." Mrs. Romarus said finally. "You need to do something with yourself. You can't go off on these trips of yours again!"

"Bradley," Mr. Romarus said, "Your mother and I have decided that, well... we think it would be best if... you got a job."

"What?" Bradley cried, "A job? I can't get a job! I'm fifteen years old!"

"Plenty of people hire fifteen year-olds," said Mrs. Romarus placidly, "You could get a job as a coffee shop barista. I hear they pay very well."

"I'm not getting a job." Bradley stated, "It's not going to happen!"

"I don't know, Bradley" said Goldrama rather suddenly, causing everyone to turn towards him, "Getting a job might be a good experience for you. And I'd be able to get free coffee!"

"Do you even drink coffee?" Bradley asked him. Goldrama thought for a moment.

"I don't think so..." he said, looking glum.

"Oh, you can buy hot chocolate, Goldrama." Mr. Romarus pointed out, grinning at him. Goldrama smiled and turned back to Bradley.

"Come on, Bradley, it'll be fun!" he insisted, standing himself up and walking down the stairs, "Let's go to the coffee shop right now to get you signed up!" And with that, Goldrama rushed down into the main room, grabbed Bradley's hand and rushed out the door with such speed that Mr. and Mrs. Romarus stood staring out the door for a while after they had left. Thus began Bradley's part-time job as a coffee barista. Little did anyone know how terrifying it would soon turn out to be.

TWO WEEKS LATER

Goldrama walked casually into the coffee shop. He had gotten used to the fact that people were staring at him, as they always do when he walked in to a public place. He strolled leisurely around several displays, pretending to look at the various tea mugs for sale, the candy canes placed delicately in a tiny wreath as a decoration for the upcoming holidays.

"Gold, if you want to order something, order something." Bradley said , his hands pressed against his cheeks, his elbows resting on the ordering counter. Goldrama turned slowly to face him, his eyes opened halfway, almost in amusement.

"Oh, Bradley! Is that you?" he said airily, walking towards the counter very slowly, "I had no idea that you're the barista today! What a pleasant surprise!"

"Goldrama, you knew very well that today is my shift." muttered Bradley, jutting his thumb towards a sign displaying proudly that he had the day's barista duty, "Just order something already."

"Hey!" wheezed a tall, blonde-haired girl standing by the cash register, "That's no way to treat a customer!"

"Fine," Bradley grumbled under his breath. He then turned to Goldrama and said, "Just order something... _please_."

"That's more like it." the girl choked out, then turned to a customer questioning why there were no Hannukah decorations in the shop.

"Well, let's see here..." Goldrama mused, gazing up at the menu, "I'll take a large white chocolate mocha with a double shot of expresso and just a touch of vanilla please."

"Are you sure that's what you want?" asked Bradley. He was looking sceptically at Goldrama.

"Oh, right. Add some whipped cream, please." Bradley rolled his eyes and began preparing Goldrama's requested drink.

"So who's she?" asked Goldrama, his eyes lingering on the willowy blonde, still dealing with the persistant customer at the counter.

"That's my boss, Cheryl." Bradley told him as he mixed white chocolate mix into a cup of warm coffee. "I don't like her. She scares me sometimes. And I've seen her hang around with some creepy guy after her shift. My guess is that he's some high school dropout looking for an easy date. Here's your drink, pay at the counter." He passed Goldrama a large disposable coffee cup. Goldrama smiled and walked around to Cheryl at the register.

"...and I don't think they sell neon Star of Davids. Next!" Cheryl called out, then coughed violently into a tissue. The customer, looking rather offended, marched out of the coffee shop in a huff. Goldrama walked up to the register.

"Large white chocolate mocha, double shot of expresso, vanilla shavings..." she said, punching keys on the register. "That'll be-" Something then fell to the floor with a loud crash. Peeking around the startled Cheryl, Goldrama saw a large pot of coffee spilling onto a dark green book bag, several of the papers inside becoming visibly stained with coffee.

"My schoolwork!" gasped Cheryl, and she rushed into the kitchen to grab a towel. Goldrama was staring at the mess on the floor. So was Bradley, fixated on a specific spot. It wasn't the mess that intrigued them. In the middle of the coffee-coated heap was a dark orange book, one with five circles connected by a zigzagging line on its cover. It had been opened up, revealing nonsensical writing, some in blue, some in dark orange. The two immediately knew what this meant. Cheryl had a mamodo spellbook hidden amongst her school supplies. Cheryl was a mamodo book keeper.

It was at this time that Cheryl reappeared from her trip into the kitchen with several rags. Goldrama looked up, glaring up at Cheryl, his eyes gleaming. Bradley was looking at her strangely, as if amused by the fact that she was in possesion of the book. Cheryl looked at both boys inquisitively, then suddenly gathered what they had seen.

"Bradley," she said, smiling slightly at she looked at her young employee, "why don't you take the day off? Get a litte _reading_ time in, hm?"

"That's just what I had in mind." replied Bradley, smirking, "I have a great book waiting for me at home. Perhaps you've heard of it? It has a rather _distinctive cover_." Cheryl merely smiled more broadly at this, and allowed Bradley to remove his dark red apron and place it on the barista's counter and walk right past her, going through the kitchen and out into the rest of the shop.

"Let's go, Goldrama." he said, grasping his mamodo's hand, then walked out of the uncrowded shop. The two turned a corner and strolled down the sidewalk towards the Romarus house.

"Did you see that?" Goldrama cried out once they were safely out of earshot from the coffee shop, "Cheryl is a book keeper! I knew there was... you know, I never payed for this coffee."

"Yeah, I saw it," said Bradley quietly, "and I have a feeling we'll be seeing it again sometime. Cheryl doesn't live to far from... you didn't pay for that?"

"Nope. She never frisked me!" Goldrama grinned mischeviously, then gulped the entire cup's contents down in one swallow. Bradley stood and stared for a while as Goldrama's eyes widened and he turned for the nearest garbage can. Laughing hysterically, Bradley clutched Goldrama's hand and continued along the sidewalk, Goldrama's tongue sticking out from the corner of his mouth. The two merely walked in silence for a while before they reached the busy intersection nearest their house. But something was wrong.

At the intersection right next to the Romarus household was a huge, white crystal emerging from the ground, a car smashed into its side. Several shards of the gem lay scattered around, some lodged into parked vehicles, some smashed into windows and housings. Beside the stone was Cheryl, the dark orange spellbook in her hand. Next to Cheryl, one arm in a fist and bent slightly into the air, was an odd fellow. His hair was a dark red-orange, reaching a little past his neck. He was wearing black boots and a dark green jacket, with a white undershirt beneath it. His pants were a rather ugly navy green, his gloves a solid black. The man's eyes matched the color of Cheryl's book exactly, and had no pupils. He also bore two strange lines coming down from underneath his eyes. Both of them turned towards Goldrama and Bradley.

"You're just in time." Cheryl said, her voice now scratchier than ever, "Our audience was getting rather restless." It was then that Bradley noticed that sharp, white crystals were protruding from the edges of every front door on the block. Looking inside one of the windows, Bradley saw a woman stuck to the floor, her feet stuck in the shimmering trap. A man who appeared to have been playing the piano had his hands immobilized in gemstone, unable to remove them from the keys. The other mamodo duo had managed to not only make it to Bradley's home block, but also had trapped the homeowners inside their own houses.

"We know you're a mamodo and book keeper, don't deny it," the mamodo said with his arm still slightly bent, "So now you have a choice to make: give us your spellbook, or..." The mamodo thrust his hand a bit higher into the air. The crystals attatched to the woman's legs climbed a bit higher onto her, almost reaching her knees. She wore an expression of extreme fear, while the man's arms were now completely encrusted in the evil jewel. If the mamodo raised his hand high enough, the crystal would cover their airways, suffocating them. Then again, Bradley couldn't hand over the spellbook. But his parents might be in the same situation. Their house wasn't visible from the intersection; who knows how their spell might affect them? As Bradley and Goldrama stood there, Cheryl began to laugh: a sinister, heartless, scratchy laugh that seemed to echo on forever.

TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 4


End file.
